The Petunia is a very popular plant that is used for flower bedding and potting in the summer season. There are only a few small-flowered Petunia varieties, such as, ‘Sunbelkuopi’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,715), ‘Sunbelkubu’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,279), and ‘Sunbelkuho’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,278). These Petunias are of the decumbent type and have a very low plant height, abundant branching, and a high resistance to heat, rain and disease. Accordingly, this invention is aimed at obtaining a new Petunia variety having deep purplish-pink petal color with a yellowish-white eye, and very small flowers combined with the above features.
The new variety of Petunia plant according to this invention originated from the crossing with the Petunia variety named ‘CBPS09’ as the female parent, and the Petunia variety named ‘CBPS04’ as the male parent.
First of all, controlled crossings were conducted between the Petunia variety ‘P49’, as the female parent, and the Petunia variety ‘CBP04’, as male the parent, and the Petunia variety ‘CBP04’, as the female parent, and the Petunia variety ‘P38’, as the male parent, during March 1997 at Yokaichi-shi Shiga, Japan. In this connection, the petunia varieties ‘P49’, ‘CBP04’, ‘P38’, ‘CBPS09’ and ‘CBPS04’ are lines bred by us and are not filed in Japan or any other country. From each crossing 40 seedlings were obtained and the Petunia varieties ‘CBPS09’ and ‘CBPS04’ were selected from each crossing, in view of their decumbent type growth habit, abundant branching and flower color, at the end of December 1997. Then the controlled crossing between the Petunia variety ‘CBPS09’, as the female parent, and the Petunia variety ‘CBPS04’, as the male parent, was conducted in 1998. From this crossing, 400 seedlings were obtained and 10 seedlings were selected, in October 1998, at Yokaichi-shi, Shiga, Japan. The 10 selected plants were propagated by cuttings and then grown in pots in both a greenhouse and in a field at Yokaichi-shi, Shiga, Japan from April to October 2000. The botanical characteristics of the selected plants were examined using the similar varieties ‘Sunbelkupi’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,287) and ‘Sunbelochipi’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,355) for comparison.
As a result, one plant was selected and it was concluded that the selected new Petunia variety is distinguishable from any other variety whose existence is known to us. The new variety was asexually reproduced using shoot cuttings and shown to be uniform and stable in its characteristics. This new variety of Petunia plant was named ‘Sunbelkupapi’.
The new variety of the present invention can be readily distinguished from the ‘Sunbelkupi’ through an observation of the flower coloration. The new ‘Sunbelkupapi’ variety of the present invention forms deep purplish-pink flowers with a yellowish-white eye, the ‘Sunbelkupi’ variety forms vivid reddish-purple flowers.
In the following description, the color information is in accordance with The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England.
The main botanical characteristics of the comparison variety ‘Sunbelkupi’ are as follows:    Plant:                                Growth habit.—Decumbent.            Plant height.—Approximately 6.0 cm.            Spreading area of the plant.—The stem expands to length of approximately 18 cm from the base.            Blooming period.—April to late October in the southern Kanto area, Japan. The plant shape does not change throughout this period.                            Stem:                                Thickness.—Approximately 1.2 mm.            Pubescence.—Normal to sparse.            Branching.—Abundant with a superior brunching.            Length of internode.—Approximately 1.3 cm.                            Leaf:                                Shape.—Lanceolate.            Length.—Approximately 3.5 cm.            Width.—Approximately 1.0 cm.            Color.—R.H.S. 137B(Dark green).            Thickness.—Approximately 0.2 mm.            Pubescence.—Sparse.            Leaf attaching angle to stem.—Slanted upward to horizontal.                            Flower:                                Facing direction.—Slanted upward to horizontal.            Type.—Single.            Shape.—Funnel-shaped, with five-fissures.            Shape of petal tip.—Rounded.            Waving of petal.—Weak.            Lobation of petal.—Shallow.            Diameter.—Approximately 2.8 cm.            Color.—Petal: R.H.S. 74A (Vivid reddish-purple).            Bottom color of the corolla throat.—R.H.S. 3A (Bright greenish-yellow).            Outside color of corolla tube.—R.H.S. 1D (Pale yellow-green) with R.H.S. 152B (Dark olive-green) lines.            Reproductive organs.—1 normal pistil and 5 normal stamens.            Peduncle.—Approximately0.7 mm in thickness, and Approximately 1.8 cm in length.            Physiological and ecological characteristics.—High resistance to heat, rain, drought and diseases such as Powdery mildew. The resistance to heat and rain is very strong.                        